I’m relatively new to pumping (I started on the pump in December) and I’m currently having a serious problem with no delivery alarms that seem to be caused by a kink in the cannula whenever I insert it. In the past few hours I have made 5 different insertions and the same thing keeps happening. My sugars are now far too high and I’m about to take an injection of novorapid to bring them down, but what I’m wondering is if this is being caused by something I am doing wrong? 4 out of the 5 times when I removed it, the cannula was bent, and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong to cause this to happen. Any help at all would be much appreciated!!
(Sorry if this has been mentioned before but a high bg and a lot of stress has made me too tired to look!!!)
Thanks a lot for your help Dave, is it possible to order these online? I live in Northern Ireland and the way it works here is that your diabetes specialist provides you with pump supplies, and the only ones she uses are quick sets. I’ll take a look now and see if I can find a way of ordering Sure-Ts instead, thanks
It’s more likely the insertion set you’re using than anything you’ve done. you don’t say what type you’re using, but I’d guess it’s the quickset, since that’s what new pumpers generally receive. I’ve had no problems with the Silhouette, which inserts at an angle. Never tried the Sure-T, but it gets good reviews.
That’s right Terry, it’s the quickset I’m using…I’ll look into silhouette as well as sure t because I’m ready to crack up right now, this is driving me mad!!
I’ve had the best luck with the silhouettes too. What size is the canula on your quicksets? If you are using an 8, then perhaps it is just too long. Make sure you are using a short set, and also check where you are placing them. Even with the short sets, I get bent tubing in my thighs and rump. It’s just too close to the muscle.
Terry has it right. I had huge problems with kinks in the quicksets. Minimed recommended I switch to the silhouettes, and my problems with kinks were solved. I still get them every once in a while, but it is very rare. Try contacting Minimed. They may be able to help you out, even with a different specialist if needed.
I had the EXACT same problem when I started on my Minimed pump with Quicksets in November.
Are you using Quickset with 9mm or 6mm?
When I started, they gave me 9mm and I found that those kinked when I inserted them anywhere (except my rear end). When I switched to the 6mm Quickset, I had no problems!!
I would also like to try out the Sure-T, but in Hungary (where I live) Minimed only supplies the Quickset and and the Silhouette. I get my supplies the same way and I was able to trade in my 9mm Quicksets for 6mm ones. If you have the 9mm ones, I suggest you try this. In the meantime, try inserting the 9mm in a place where you have the most fat. For me, the upper rear end works.
I actually like the Quickset now that I have the 6mm ones!
When I started on the pump in the USA, no one mentioned to me that there was more than one type of infusion set. They handed me the Sil and I got used to it. But the diabetes educator told me that I insert my infusion set more slowly than anyone that she has even seen
I saw that there is an inserter for Sils. I think that would be scary. I like to insert by hand-- nice and slow!
Now that i used Quickset for a while (with the serter), the Sils do seem HUGE. But they worked for me for years
I discussed the problems I was having with this with Minimed and they sent me several samples. I discovered with our discussion that alot of the choice should be made based on how much fat you have. The silhouette works best when you don’t have alot of fat - the quickset was actually penetrating the muscle and my sugar was always running high. The type of insertion set can make a big difference in your A1C. Mine went from 7.0 to 6.3 with little change in what I was eating but merely the fact I changed to a silhouette.
I use the 9mm ones, but when I asked my diabetes specialist about changing to 6mm, she told me they don’t do those…and that they also can’t provide me with anything else other than the quickset. I looked it up on the minimed site but because I’d be getting it from a different country, the cost of changing to something like the sure-ts would be way over what I can afford
The thing that bugs me is that clearly a lot of people have had the same problem with quicksets, yet when I told my specialist what was happening, she told me she had never heard of that happening to anyone else and that I must be doing something wrong…it seems to be the story of my life with these people that if something doesn’t go right with my diabetes, it automatically appears to be my fault, so it’s just good to know that what she is saying to me may not necessarily be the truth since obviously a lot of you have had the same problem!!!
The best thing that you can do is put them in the places where you have the most fat.
You should talk to someone else at Minimed. See if you can talk to the supervisor or someone higher.
In Hungary, not all infusion sets are available either, but different body types require different infusion sets. If the Minimed reps in Ireland are not helpful, perhaps you should send an email to the Minimed office in the USA. It is not hard to carry more than one type of infusion set, but since the markets are smaller, the company just chooses to keep fewer types in stock.
Sorry that they are being so difficult about this!
Another option might be checking if you can get pump supplies for another pump (like Animas).
Check out this video. You can buy special resevoirs (insulin cartridges) for your Minimed pump that enable you to use Luer lock infusions sets. The site where you can order them is here.
This will only help if you are able to order from another company, which might not be possible
You’re right Dave. MM offers a wide range of infusion sets in the USA. I don’t understand why they can’t offer the same wide range in European countries. I guess the market is smaller and they “keep it simpler” by only offering us 1-2 choices.
My Minimed rep didn’t see why they needed to offer more. But I want the Sure T I’ll keep asking!
My only reservation regarding the Sure-T is the fact that it is a metal needle that can poke tissues under the skin and cause pain and discomfort. I like how it eliminates the cannula kink issues because I have had those happen, albeit very rarely.
Can the Sure-T be used by those of us without much fat between the skin and muscle tissue underneath?
Another fan of the sure-T’s here. I got samples from MM and loved them…but I get supplies every three months so I am stuck with quicksets until my next shipment arrives. Yesterday I had another high 300 because I inserted (quickset) in the AM went to work…tested at 2hr post insert and was 140 (a little high but nothing alarming, so corrected), got busy at work and was NOT happy by noon. (I kept the old working site so I plugged back in there and yanked the new site–kinked!!!) The Sure-Ts are comfortable,easy to insert, and I can trust them.
Is your pump a mini med paradigm? I just switched in Dec. '08 to the new paradigm. I have had tons of No Delivery alarms and unexplained high blood sugars. I don’t think it’s just me…I’ve been pumping for 10 years now. Let me know what type of pump you have. Thanks.
